What Middlesbrough boss Jonathan Woodgate will say to his attacking players after Fulham stalemate

Only Wigan Athletic have scored less goals than Boro in the Championship this season, following the Teessiders’ goalless draw against ten-man Fulham at the Riverside.

The visitors saw goalkeeper Marek Rodak sent off in the 17th minute yet Boro couldn’t make a breakthrough on another frustrating afternoon.

Striker Britt Assombalonga hasn’t scored for four games while Ashley Fletcher has netted just once in the league this season.

When asked what he’ll say to his attacking players after that game, Woodgate replied: “You have got to sit them down and speak to them but you need to look at yourself as well as a player to find that confidence.

“If you’ve got a manager backing them, I’m not slating them, I’m backing them because I believe in them, but it’s got to come from yourself at times.

“It’s happened to me before as a player and you have to look at yourself and find confidence and build from that and work as hard as you can.

“If you don’t do the little nitty, gritty things in the game it will come back to bite you, but if you’re giving everything week in week out something will fall to you.”

Woodgate was understandably frustrated after Boro dropped into the Championship relegation zone and admitted it was an opportunity missed.

“Before the game would you have taken a point against Fulham? Probably, because they are a really good team,” added Woodgate.

“But when you have the opportunity then it turns itself on it's head and that's an opportunity missed because they went down to ten men. We've got to capitalise on that.

“We need that cutting edge. At times we do get chances, over the last three games we've had a lot of chances but we need to start putting them in the back of the net.

“It doesn't matter whether it's a striker, a right-back, a centre-back or a central midfielder, we have to hit the back of the net.”